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Wheat BellyWilliam DavisReviewed by Kathy Hare

Friends say
it, you hear it on commercials, you may have said it yourself. “I
exercise and eat right and I still can’t lose weight!” Dr. William Davis
believes he knows why, and it’s not because most Americans are out and
out liars when it comes to the battle of the bulge. Davis’ goal in
“Wheat Belly” is to set the record straight. The growing obesity problem
in America is caused by some extremely bad dietary advice.
“Eat more healthy whole
grains,” we’ve been told since the 1970’s. But chucking the Wonder Bread
didn’t result in smaller belt sizes. In fact, the obesity rate continues
to climb with every passing year. Davis emphatically states that’s
because the major grain we consume – wheat – is not only unhealthy, it
also contains an addictive substance that makes us yearn for just one
more bite, in the same manner a junky pleads for another fix. Hmm, now
that could be the problem!
“Wheat Belly” contains a
comprehensive history of wheat, from the grass seeds gathered by our
Paleolithic ancestors to the variety now being used worldwide. As Davis
points out, what we eat today is not “your grandmother’s muffins.” In
the 1960’s, American farmers and biologists took on the daunting task of
ending starvation throughout the world. This was accomplished by
genetically modifying the kernels to make them resistant to diseases and
drought. By the 1980’s, there were no longer “amber waves” of tall-stalk
wheat blowing across the plains. Wheat stalks now stand at 18 inches,
the compact heads now mature faster than previous varieties, and farmers
have achieved their intended goal - feeding the masses. Unfortunately,
Davis writes, this modification is also responsible for some nasty
“unintended consequences.”
Davis, a cardiologist, is
no stranger to the battle of the bulge. His childhood diet was similar
to most people raised in the mid-20th Century, it included lots of
cereals, pasta and sandwiches. By age 19, he was already sporting a tire
around his belly. But it wasn’t until 1999, when his wife took a picture
of him asleep on the beach, with his fat flowing in all directions, that
Davis realized he had a weight problem. At least 30 lbs overweight, he
wondered, “What must my patients be thinking when I counseled them on
diet?”
He embarked on an
exercise program and started eating the same “healthy whole grains” that
he advised his patients to eat. Yet in spite of his efforts, the fat
remained, and Davis’ health declined even as he increased the number of
miles he jogged and cut his caloric intake. A blood test revealed he had
high cholesterol and diabetes. “Something had to be fundamentally wrong
with my diet,” he concluded.
As he began researching
the glycemic levels of different foods, he was shocked to discover the
consumption of carbohydrates, especially wheat, increased his blood
sugar levels more than sugar did! Bucking conventional health advice, he
removed wheat from his diet, and asked his heart patients to do the
same. For those who did, the results were astounding. His patients lost
lots of weight, especially around their mid-sections, where visceral fat
collects. “Diabetics became nondiabetics,” Davis writes, and those
suffering with acid reflux, irritable bowel syndrome, rheumatoid
arthritis and a number of other physical and mental conditions saw a
marked improvement in their health. In fact, these are the same benefits
people suffering from celiac disease experienced, once they stopped
eating wheat, rye, barley and oats grown or processed in conjunction
with other grains.
The author could not
fully understand the destructive properties of wheat without researching
celiac disease, a potentially fatal autoimmune deficiency. It is
triggered when gluten, from the grains mentioned above, destroys the
lining of the small intestine. “The celiac sufferer becomes unable to
absorb nutrients,” Davis said, and their immune system stops
functioning. Davis explains a myriad of problems this causes in Chapter
Six. Unfortunately, there is no medical cure for the disease. But once
gluten is removed from the diet, the small intestine can begin to repair
itself. However, as Davis writes, even something “as small as a bread
crumb or a crouton” can cause a relapse.
Davis discovered the
number of Americans afflicted with celiac has doubled since 1978. And
there has been a fourfold increase in those afflicted with a less severe
form of wheat intolerance. Some physicians claim that’s because they
have become better at diagnosing both. Davis doesn’t totally discredit
that assumption, but he points out two factors that may also contribute
to the increase. First, before WWII, wheat was only found in baked goods
and pasta. Now you will be amazed to find the number of products that
contain wheat. Read the ingredients on the labels. Wheat can be found in
many ice creams, salad dressings, soups, sauces, lipsticks, toothpastes
and most processed foods. Second, he believes it is more than a
coincidence that allergies to wheat increased at the same time the dwarf
strain became the most popular variety grown in this county. And he
backs up his claim by showing the genetic differences between “today’s
and yesterday’s wheat.”
Since being diagnosed
with celiac disease six years ago, I’ve read a number of books and
scientific papers about the illness. Davis’ “Wheat Belly” contains the
most up-to-date information about the disease, and best of all, it’s
written so those of us who do not have a medical degree can understand
it.
But that doesn’t mean I
liked everything I read in “Wheat Belly.” “Live gluten-free,” Davis
said, but don’t eat all the gluten-free products now found on
supermarket shelves. As I read on, I realized what he wrote is true.
These products are loaded with corn, rice, and lots of sugar that can
indeed cause someone with celiac to develop diabetes. And the last thing
I want is to have more restrictions placed on my diet.
Lest I leave you with the
wrong impression, Davis isn’t promoting a wheat free diet just for those
suffering from celiac disease. As a cardiologist, his goal is to
eliminate obesity and diabetes. To this end, he wants everyone to follow
the diet he proposes in “Wheat Belly.” It is similar to what our
ancestors ate before the advent of agriculture. That goal may be
unreachable for many. However, 70 percent of Americans’ daily caloric
intake now comes from carbohydrates, with wheat accounting for the
majority of those calories.
Read “Wheat Belly.” Try
following his diet for a few weeks. As you watch your love-handles
disappear, you may gain a new respect for a member of the medical
profession who bravely challenges the “whole-grain advice” that isn’t
making us any healthier.